I have 2 kids, ages 3 and 1. I have to do most of my running (not tri training this winter) after my girls go to bed. The treadmill is excruciating for anything over an hour, no matter what I watch on TV. I would really like to run outside this winter, but want to do so safely. I live in a pretty rural area with no street lights. I could drive into our little village and run, which is lit, but I still need to be visible to cars.
Right now I have a reflective vest, a clip on small light that flashes red, and a hat with a built in light. It does not sufficiently light up the road though.
Any suggestions? BTW, I am a girl. I don’t know if that makes a difference.
Maybe it is just me, but the only reflective stuff I wear is on my shoes b/c they came with them and in the winter my outer wear has a little bit. I’m typically on a sidewalk, so I don’t worry to much about it.
I’m a little more cautious when I cross a cross walk than during the day when I just take it & yell at any car that comes close to me. It is adventurous during the day b/c I’m pretty sure they will eventually see me and stop…I’m not so sure at night.
If you run on trails or dark streets & you’re a chick it probably is wise to carry some mace or something. If you’re in the south, I’m sure I could find many rednecks I’m friends with that think you should carry a gun, but mace is probably fine.
If you’re really worried, I’d go for one of the running vests LED lighting built-in - they are very visible. There are lots of running headlamps that should be decent enough for lighting up the road in front. There are threads on here with specific recommendations…
I never wear anything reflective. My theory is if they can’t see you they can’t hit you. I always run toward traffic and you can get out of the way if you see head lights coming. Driving in the dark seeing something reflective the natural tendency is to vere toward it as you are focusing on it. That’s my take on it anyway. I love running in the dark.
I primarily run at night where it drops into the 90’s at about 7 pm. I used to run with a reflect but I dropped it (lol). Now I primarily just run into the direction of traffic and try to listen for dogs. If I was a girl I’d take a few more precautions. The past few weeks I’ve been running to work and I have to go through a fairly bad area. I’m considering buying a taser.
I never wear anything reflective. My theory is if they can’t see you they can’t hit you. I always run toward traffic and you can get out of the way if you see head lights coming. Driving in the dark seeing something reflective the natural tendency is to vere toward it as you are focusing on it. That’s my take on it anyway. I love running in the dark.
Is that like when you are a little kid and you put your hands over your eyes and think nobody else can see you? Off course they can hit you if they can’t see you.
I wear a blinking red light on the front of my shorts and run towards oncoming traffic. Cars usually see me and give me some room. Bikers on the other hand have a tendancy to buzz me pretty closely.
I used to live and run in the inner city and sported black running gear at night, but a few years ago moved out to the sticks and had to light myself up like a Christmas tree. Use reflective clothing with a bright color for when the headlights actually see you. Nathan makes running vest has a row of flashing LEDs. Petzl headlamp fits nicely on a running hat with a visor or a winter had and provides plenty of visibility to see the road and for drivers to see you. I also have a RoadID Firefly blinking on the back of the Petzl headband. If you start running around the same time, the typical weekday drivers will remember seeing you a few times and pay more attention to giving you space on the road.
Can’t do much about Blackberry/cell phone/GPS/Ipod users, but that’s why my wife calls the Road ID the, “Please scoop gently,” name tag.
It sounds like you’ve got it covered. The only other thing is to run against traffic so that you’ve got a fighting chance. I used to wear a reflective vest, but then I discovered this: http://www.amphipod.com/440-448/440.html
I’ve worn it for the last 4 or 5 years. Hands down one of the best things I’ve purchased.
I run quite a bit when it’s dark and I actively look for runners. But I’ve come close to tagging some that where not wearing anything reflective or lights because I couldn’t see them. You may think you’re being stealthy running without, but drivers sometimes do things you don’t expect for reasons you don’t anticipate.
For example, I’m driving down the road at night and a dog runs out in front of my car into my headlight lit area. I may swerve to miss it if I think I’m clear. But if I saw the blinking lights and know there is a runner there, I’ll hit the dog. The runner on the shoulder wouldn’t have much of a choice.
Also if you are running on sidewalks at night, watch for people pulling into and out of driveways and parking lots. They usually don’t look to see if anything/one is coming down the sidewalk and they very rarely look to the right at all.
BTW, I usually where a blinking red light on my hip (so it can be seen from front and behind) and a headlight. I’m usually more worried about skunks.
Have you ever worn that riding? Not so much on the tri bike in the aerobars, but in a more upright position, road riding or on mountain bike? (I’ve got about a 2 mile ride on the roads to my local trails).
It looks like it is pretty comfortable and not very intrusive.
What are people wearing for headlamps? Something that goes around your head with an elastic band?
I’ve got some good local trails I’d like to run, and with the winter and darkness coming need something to light my way to see what’s ahead and avoid rolling an ankle.
If you run with a water belt, remove one of the bottles and carry a .45 with hollow points. If not, get a lower back holster. The last thing your little girls need is to be without their mom.
I run at night with zero problems. My mom gets in runs in around dark as well, she just does a 2 mile loop for “safety” reasons. I think you would be okay as long as your not running down any dark shady allies that sort of thing. Just run your normal route that your comfortable with. Running at night is pretty nice. The stars are out, its cooler no douche bags out and about.
Being around New England drivers I’ve learned you need to light yourself up like Times Square on New Years Eve.
I wear a reflective vest. I clip blinking lights to both the front AND back of it. I wear reflective clothing. I wear a headlamp and often have that on blink as well. Blinking seems to make you more visible than solid lights but both are good.
Also, one very useful tip to improve your ability to see the road: I wear headgear (visor in summer, cap in winter) with a visor so that I lower it over my eyes to block the headlight lights of oncoming cars. You would be amazed how much that improves your ability to see the sidewalk/road when you aren’t blinded by lights. For the winter, it’s actually tough to find warm headgear with a visor. I found a Nike tech baseball cap with ear warmers built in but you can just use ear warmers in addition to a regular tech cap
I don’t get the impression that you are worried about the fashion here, but just in case, don’t ever worry about whether or not it makes you look silly. Better to look silly and be seen.
I agree with the ‘if they can’t see you, they can’t hit you’ perspective.
Although, if you can’t see the ground you could roll an ankle or get otherwise injured. A nice flashlight or headlamp could solve both issues.
I do most of my running at night and actually prefer it. It’s peaceful. That being said, I once ran head on into a ditch. The ground just suddenly wasn’t there. I didn’t get hurt, it was just funny at the time (I was running on roadside and as I ran across an intersecting road, the ditch alongside the road picked up about two feet over from where it was previously).
Also, I’m a large (6’3’') guy, and live in a safe place, so I can’t speak to female-specific safety considerations. Maybe a nearby track would work?
What are people wearing for headlamps? Something that goes around your head with an elastic band?
I’ve got some good local trails I’d like to run, and with the winter and darkness coming need something to light my way to see what’s ahead and avoid rolling an ankle.
I’ve got one of those Tikka Plus headlamps. I use lithium batteries in it because they last longer in the cold.
I used to run with a Petzl head lamp, but it didn’t illuminate the ground enough for me to avoid stepping on things and rolling my ankle. I now have a very small powerful flashlight that I carry. I bought it in the camping gear aisle at Wal-Mart. It works great.
I run against traffic and most of the time will wear reflective gear. I’m extremely defensive about avoiding cars. I assume they can’t see me and will step aside to give them plenty of room to pass. If I’m listening to music, I turn it low enough to hear things around me. I haven’t had much of a problem with cars, though, as headlights give a pretty good warning of an oncoming vehicle.
In my neighborhood, wildlife can be an issue. A young mountain lion moved in nearby (3 credible sightings), so I’m thinking about velcroing mace to my wrist, which one of my friends does when mountain lions become a threat in his area.
With regard to safety, I tend to follow every instinct no matter how irrational. If a car or person is making me nervous, I avoid it. Tracks are okay, but if a guy is there too, I can get a little skittish. Usually I can tell if someone is doing an actual workout versus a creepy hanging out thing (about a year ago, a priest was busted for running naked in the middle of the night at a track – I think that might make me a little nervous:).
I also wear a reflective vest and clip on a red blinky. I also wear reflective ankle bands. I also avoid the freeway overpasses that have exits/entrances.
I run on fairly main roads and try and keep my runs to the early evening (around 6-7 PM) as there is less of a chance of drunks being out. However, a girl who beat me to the line at the duathlon I ran last year in October was killed 2 weeks later running on the sidewalk at about 8 PM when some drunk high moron lost control and plowed into her and her friend. I also wear a vest and my long johns are all bright colors (white, etc), it seems to work for me. Id never do a trail or dirt run at night, too many crazies and too many hazards I can’t see.